St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1887-11-05

the policy of federation toward Noncom-
formists was reversed by proclamation
dated February 3, 1915, all conventicles
were suppressed, and all licenses to
preach withdrawn. Bunyan was left at
the mercy of his enemies, who struck
at him with all possible speed.
The movers would be Sir W. Beecher,
an NJ. p. for the borough Sir George
Blundell and DR.. Foster, chancellor of
Lincoln, three of the magistrates con-
nected with the first Imprisonment
bitter harassers of disscnters. All three
had distrained for fines, and Foster, as
commissary of the archdeaconrv court
had in the year 1868 alone inflicted 400
of these fines. They collected strong
bench, Sir John Napier, NJ. P for the
! county, six baronets and seven minor
| luminaries, and under their hands and
| seals was issued the following warrant
ITO the Constables of Bedford and to
every of them
Whereas information and
complaint is made unto us
that Notwithstanding the
Kings Majties late Act of
| Napier most gracious goodwill and
free pardon to all his sub
jects tor past misdemean
clemen tita' anai i ind ssra
| guard and favor they might
bee moved and induced for
| W Beecher the time to come more care
| fully to observe his High
ness lawes and Statutes and
| to continue in THERE loyal
and due obedience to his
Majtie) Yeti one John
Bunnyon of We said Towne
G Blundeu TINKER hath divers times
within one month last past
in contempt of his Maj
tie good Lawes preached
or teached at a Conventicle
Hum Monoux Meeting or Assembly under
color or ptence or exercise
of Religion in other manner
than according to the Litur-
Will Franklin gle or practiss of the Church
of England These are
therefore in his Majties
name to command you
forthwith to apprehend and
bring the Body of the said
John BunniOn before us or
any of us or other his
Maities Justice of Peace
within the said County to
answer the Premises end
further to doc and receave
John Ventris as to Law and Justice shall
appertaine and hereof you
are not to faile Given I'M
der our handles and scales
this fourth day of March
in the seven and twentieth
yeare of the Raigne of our
most gracious Soveraigne
Lord King Charles the Sc
ond 40 que Dne juxta gr
1874
Will Spenour
Will Gerry st 10 Chernocke
VIM Daniels I Browne
" Foster
Gaius Squire
The document is so little thumbed or
soiled that it cannot have been long in a
constable's horny palm. The sufferer
was not far to seek He may even have
done now as he did on his first arrest
gone to the constable's house to sur
render. With him it was but simple
duty. He did not dream of the great
and noble use to which he was to turn
his captivity, nor that he himself would
live to see some of the gain to religion
and literature to ensue from it.
1t only remains briefly to indicate how
this unknown and unsupported treasure
has been preserved to us, and Mr.. Thomp
son permits me to say that he considers
my account of it as reasonable and
probable.
Among the ministers elected for Non
conformity in 1862, was one lchabod
Chauncv, a son of Charles Chauncy,
president of Harvard College. He set
tied at Bristol as a physician, sparing
time to give valuable help to the harassed |
Dissenters, especially in defending those |
prosecuted under the acts relating to |
religion. He was styled their attorney |
general" and as such prosecuted and ex-
lied with forfeit of land and goods in |
1885, He would have much to |
do with the success of Bushels |
case at the end of 1870, where the |
full Court of Common Pleas held that
iuryman could not be fined nor impris-
oned on the ground that his verdict was
against evidence or the direction of the
judge. AS the persons acquitted were
William Penn and Mead, Bushell was
considered as second Hampden, and
his case would be green early IN 1870. 1t
may well be that Bunyan's friends would
forward this warrant to their champion
in the hope that some use might be made
of the very short month between the
date Of the proclamation (before which
there was no legal offense) and the date
of the warrant.
However, the intervention OF the
Bishop of Lincoln would soon be known,
the sufferer was released in six months,
and the warrant would pass into the
good physicians pigeon holes, where it
would remain until it passed, with some
documents derived from his father, into
the hands of his grandson, DR.. Charles
Chauncy, by whose family, l am in
formed by their solicitors, Messrs. Ma
Piles, Teesdale & Co., they have been
now sold.
The nature of the document is so plain
upon it's face that many experts who
have seen it have wondered how it could
80 long have remained undetected, even
passing a crowded saleroom of keen
buyers without its Importance being rec
ognized.
The Anarchists should regard George
Francis Train with suspicion. He is not one
Il =. ~l.~-s OF oil h,